Cubs fall apart in 10-4 loss to Diamondbacks
BY GORDON WITTENMYER gwittenmyer@suntimes.com July 23, 2013 11:42PM
Updated: July 24, 2013 12:27AM
PHOENIX — On the heels of losing their best pitcher to a trade and on the verge of losing their cleanup hitter to a trade, the Cubs sent their All-Star to the mound Tuesday night in Arizona — and wound up losing again.
Maybe Travis Wood should have kept the beard.
The left-hander retired the first nine batters he faced and allowed only a run through five innings, but the sixth inning unraveled quickly in a 10-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
It only got worse after Wood left following 5 2/3 innings and four runs allowed. Rule 5 pick Hector Rondon and right-hander Michael Bowden each surrendered a big inning.
Pitching for the first time in nine days, first-time All-Star Wood failed to earn a quality start for the second consecutive outing after racking up a major-league-leading 17 in his first 18 starts.
The bright spot yet again was the performance of rookie Junior Lake, who delivered his third three-hit game in five days in the big leagues.
Lake, leading off for the second consecutive night, followed a four-hit effort Monday with a 3-for-5 night that included his second home run in as many games.
He’s 12-for-22 (.545) with two homers, a double, a walk and four RBI in his five-game big-league career. He has at least one hit in all five.
